The name Wootsworthay reached English shores for the first time with the ancestors of the Wootsworthay family as they migrated following the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Wootsworthay family lived in Yorkshire, at Wadsuuorde or Wadsworth.

Early Origins of the Wootsworthay family

The surname Wootsworthay was first found in the West Riding of Yorkshire at Wadsuuorde or Wadsworth. This place was recorded in the Domesday Book taken in 1086 as 'King's Land', a Moorland with two churches and scattered houses. An isolated building within the village is said to be the setting for Emily Bronte's 'Wuthering Heights'. The village was granted by King William, to Roger de Bully, believed to be the ancestor of the Wadsworths, for his assistance at the Battle of Hastings in 1066. Years later, records show Adam de Waddeswrth listed in the Court Rolls of the Manor of Wakefield in 1275. In the parish church of Silkstone, the name was recorded as Waddysworth (1556), Wardsworth (1656), Wadsworth (1666) and finally as Wordsworth (1668). Longfellow's middle name was Wadsworth.

Early History of the Wootsworthay family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Wootsworthay research.Another 101 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1594, 1675, 1604, 1656, 1622, 1730, 1817 and 1777 are included under the topic Early Wootsworthay History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Wootsworthay Spelling Variations

Before English spelling was standardized a few hundred years ago, spelling variations of names were a common occurrence. Elements of Latin, Norman French and other languages became incorporated into English throughout the Middle Ages, and name spellings changed even among the literate. The variations of the surname Wootsworthay include Wadsworth, Wadworth, Wadesworth, Wordsworth and others.

Early Notables of the Wootsworthay family (pre 1700)

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was William Wadsworth (1594-1675), English-born early pioneer of New England, founder of Hartford, Connecticut and the patriarch of numerous and prominent Wadsworth descendants of North America; James Wadsworth (1604-c.1656), an English man who on a sea voyage to Spain (1622) was captured by Moorish... Another 69 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Wootsworthay Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Wootsworthay family to the New World and Oceana

In England at this time, the uncertainty of the political and religious environment of the time caused many families to board ships for distant British colonies in the hopes of finding land and opportunity, and escaping persecution. The voyages were expensive, crowded, and difficult, though, and many arrived in North America sick, starved, and destitute. Those who did make it, however, were greeted with greater opportunities and freedoms that they could have experienced at home. Many of those families went on to make important contributions to the young nations in which they settled. Early immigration records have shown some of the first Wootsworthays to arrive on North American shores: William Wadsworth, who was on record in Virginia in 1621; Christopher Wadsworth, who was on record in Plymouth, MA in 1632; William Wadsworth, his wife Sarah Talcott, their daugher Sarah and sons William and John, who were all on record in Cambridge, MA in 1632.